taken down by somebody whose IQ is a hundred points lower than mine.”
Murphy chuckled. “Or both.”
Still checking myself, I nodded and bent down to pick up my machete. Looking up, I saw Rachel up on the deck at the bow of the cabin cruiser, worry on her face.
Murphy raised a thumb to indicate that we were okay.
She nodded, looked around, and squatted on the boat’s deck.
I followed Murphy over to the cabin cruiser. To Rachel, he softly said, “The marina is clear for the moment. Me and Zed’ll go check that brown houseboat up there. Get the others.” Murphy looked at me. “You ready?”
Smiling, I said, “Ready to get beat up by another blonde?”
Murphy chuckled, and we jogged half the length of the marina’s main dock to arrive at the stern of a houseboat similar to the one we’d been quarantined in the night before. Showing its age, its paint was oxidized and its metal fittings were rusted, leaving thin trails of orange down the sides of the boat.
Murphy stepped off the dock and onto the houseboat’s stern. I jumped across beside him.
Looking at me, he asked, “You wanna knock?”
I stepped over to a closed door and did so.
We waited. No sound came from inside.
I knocked again. I looked up and down the dock to see if any other attention was being garnered.
Nothing.
“Try the door?”
I tried the knob. It was locked.
Murphy looked around. “I don’t want to kick it in. Let’s check around.”
There was no side deck on the boat, so I climbed a stairway that led to the rooftop deck, but there was no door down from there to the boat’s interior. “No way in up here.”
Murphy looked around again. “You see anything?”
I shook my head.
He jumped over to the dock and walked up along the walkway beside the boat, reaching across to check each of the windows he passed. He cursed quietly under his breath after trying each one. They were all locked.
When he was walking around to the other side of the boat, I heard the sound of boat motors. “Hurry, dude. I think I hear something.”
Murphy looked up at me with a question on his face.
“Boats,” I told him in a harsh whisper.
He ran around to the other side of the houseboat. I climbed down the stairs, crossed the deck, and hopped over to the dock. When I went around to the boat’s port side, I saw Murphy’s legs sticking out of a window as he tried to crawl his way in.
Figuring he had that problem solved, I ran down the dock until Rachel and I made contact. I pointed toward the lake as I ran.
She understood immediately and jumped down from the bow to gather up the others.
The sound of high-revving boat motors grew more distinct. I looked toward the end of the cove and wondered how much time we had before Jay’s boats arrived.
Feet hit the wooden dock behind me. Fully expecting those feet to be one of the cabin cruiser’s occupants, I glanced over my shoulder. It wasn’t one of my new friends. “Damn.”
Just a dozen feet behind me, a strong-looking young man with short hair and white skin was looking at me, trying to figure out if I was food or friend.
“Hey, dude,” I said.
That was enough. He rushed at me and reached for my throat. I ducked under his arms and sliced his abdomen open as he ran by. He fell to the deck, writhing, feebly wheezing his pain with what little breath he could muster. I stepped over and hacked at the back of his neck, bringing his misery and noisy death to an end.
When I looked up, the rest of the boat’s passengers were running up the dock. I waved them forward and ran to the houseboat, jumping over to the houseboat’s deck as Murphy swung the back door open. A moment later, Freitag rushed past, followed by Rachel. Gretchen and Paul, older and slower, came next. Dalhover, self-appointed rearguard, was last. Murphy closed the door behind us.
Once inside, Dalhover found a window through which to peek and see up the cove. Murphy found a spot at another window.
“How did they get here so
Murphy chuckled. “Or both.”
Still checking myself, I nodded and bent down to pick up my machete. Looking up, I saw Rachel up on the deck at the bow of the cabin cruiser, worry on her face.
Murphy raised a thumb to indicate that we were okay.
She nodded, looked around, and squatted on the boat’s deck.
I followed Murphy over to the cabin cruiser. To Rachel, he softly said, “The marina is clear for the moment. Me and Zed’ll go check that brown houseboat up there. Get the others.” Murphy looked at me. “You ready?”
Smiling, I said, “Ready to get beat up by another blonde?”
Murphy chuckled, and we jogged half the length of the marina’s main dock to arrive at the stern of a houseboat similar to the one we’d been quarantined in the night before. Showing its age, its paint was oxidized and its metal fittings were rusted, leaving thin trails of orange down the sides of the boat.
Murphy stepped off the dock and onto the houseboat’s stern. I jumped across beside him.
Looking at me, he asked, “You wanna knock?”
I stepped over to a closed door and did so.
We waited. No sound came from inside.
I knocked again. I looked up and down the dock to see if any other attention was being garnered.
Nothing.
“Try the door?”
I tried the knob. It was locked.
Murphy looked around. “I don’t want to kick it in. Let’s check around.”
There was no side deck on the boat, so I climbed a stairway that led to the rooftop deck, but there was no door down from there to the boat’s interior. “No way in up here.”
Murphy looked around again. “You see anything?”
I shook my head.
He jumped over to the dock and walked up along the walkway beside the boat, reaching across to check each of the windows he passed. He cursed quietly under his breath after trying each one. They were all locked.
When he was walking around to the other side of the boat, I heard the sound of boat motors. “Hurry, dude. I think I hear something.”
Murphy looked up at me with a question on his face.
“Boats,” I told him in a harsh whisper.
He ran around to the other side of the houseboat. I climbed down the stairs, crossed the deck, and hopped over to the dock. When I went around to the boat’s port side, I saw Murphy’s legs sticking out of a window as he tried to crawl his way in.
Figuring he had that problem solved, I ran down the dock until Rachel and I made contact. I pointed toward the lake as I ran.
She understood immediately and jumped down from the bow to gather up the others.
The sound of high-revving boat motors grew more distinct. I looked toward the end of the cove and wondered how much time we had before Jay’s boats arrived.
Feet hit the wooden dock behind me. Fully expecting those feet to be one of the cabin cruiser’s occupants, I glanced over my shoulder. It wasn’t one of my new friends. “Damn.”
Just a dozen feet behind me, a strong-looking young man with short hair and white skin was looking at me, trying to figure out if I was food or friend.
“Hey, dude,” I said.
That was enough. He rushed at me and reached for my throat. I ducked under his arms and sliced his abdomen open as he ran by. He fell to the deck, writhing, feebly wheezing his pain with what little breath he could muster. I stepped over and hacked at the back of his neck, bringing his misery and noisy death to an end.
When I looked up, the rest of the boat’s passengers were running up the dock. I waved them forward and ran to the houseboat, jumping over to the houseboat’s deck as Murphy swung the back door open. A moment later, Freitag rushed past, followed by Rachel. Gretchen and Paul, older and slower, came next. Dalhover, self-appointed rearguard, was last. Murphy closed the door behind us.
Once inside, Dalhover found a window through which to peek and see up the cove. Murphy found a spot at another window.
“How did they get here so
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